Kaʻū News Briefs, Sunday, March 24, 2019

A roller used by Loeffler Construction in the repaving of the OceanViewTownCenter parking lot. Two phases are  complete, and two more are planned. The roller is parked on the new paving, while the parking lot in the  background needs to be asphalted. See story below. Photo by Annie Bosted

CONGRESS AND THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE "must hear directly" from U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, said Mazie Hirono today. Mueller spent almost two years investigating the possible influence of Russia in the last presidential election, leading to numerous prosecutions and jail time for Trump associates who worked in his campaign and in the White House.
     Hirono issued a statement after today's release of the Attorney General's summary of the Mueller Report. Said Hirono, "Robert Mueller did not exonerate Donald Trump on obstruction of justice.

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The completed dry well that was installed between Kaʻū  Business Services and Salon 4 to prevent storm water  from inundating the walkways besides the  makai stores. Photo by Annie Bosted

OCEAN VIEW TOWN CENTER PARKING LOT, notorious for its many potholes, is in the midst of being paved with asphalt. Caroline Loeffler, whose Loeffler Construction is contracted for the project, told The Kaʻū Calendar that a new drainage feature, a dry well, will be installed to keep rain water away from the strip of stores that overlook Hwy 11.
     Loeffler explained that a dry well involves regrading the surrounding area so that storm water flow is directed towards the well. A ten-foot-diameter pre-cast concrete ring has been installed in an excavated area near Studio Four Salon. The space around the ring was backfilled with drain rock before being covered with a grate set in concrete. The well is not connected to a drainage system or a pipe; instead the storm water will percolate into the rocky ground or evaporate.The Ocean View Town Center parking lot, notorious for its many potholes, is in the midst of being paved with asphalt.
     The asphalt paving is planned in four stages; two are completed. Each stage involves tearing up and removing the old chip-seal, laying down a layer of base course, and then covering that with hot asphalt that is trucked in. If any stage of the operation is delayed, the asphalt can prematurely cool and harden, becoming unusable. During this time, traffic will be diverted away from the work area.
     Jim Steenburg, a one-time part owner of Ace Hardware, told The Kaʻū Calendar the driveway was first chip-sealed in July or August of 1989. Prior to that time, the then-owners of Rancho True Value Hardware, Ken and Maggie Arbo, ran their hardware business from a store in Pohue Plaza, the shopping center makai of the present hardware store.

An excavator is parked outside Salon 4, where a large hole  was dug for a dry well to stop rain water flooding the  walkway outside the strip of stores. Photo by Annie Bosted

     According to Steenburg, the Arbo's built the shopping center, then known as Lotus Blossom Town Center, in stages. They constructed the hardware store where they relocated their business, opening it in November 1989. The Arbo's then built half the stores in the strip. Once those were rented out, they built the remainder of the stores, concluding the development with the stand-alone store that is now Kaʻū Business Services. At the time, the Arbo's hoped that the Post Office would rent that space, but the service chose to stay on in Pohue Plaza.

     It was about 1993 when the hardware store changed its name to Ace. The Shopping Center's name also changed to Ocean View Town Center. According to Steenburg, Maggie Arbo's daughters, Robyn and Gail, now own the Center.